


Fixing to Thrill

by haztobegood



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 5 Times, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Pick someone supportive, Vintage Cars, a few innuendos, and some swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 12:48:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14112687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haztobegood/pseuds/haztobegood
Summary: “I’m never gonna finish fixing this car. It’s taking so long and I am so sick of it. Why can’t it just be fixed already?” Louis grumbles. Harry puts a comforting hand on Louis’ arm.“Now that’s not true. Look how far you’ve come already. You’ll finish this car, even if it’s not as soon as you were hoping for.”“But I’m not good enough at all this mechanical shit and every time I take two steps forward something throws me three steps back.” Louis drops his head into his crossed arms on the table, shrinking into the sudden surge of self doubt.“I know it’s hard, but you’re smart. You’ll figure it out. You just need a good break from the car for a bit and then you’ll be back at it, alright?” Harry rubs his back soothingly.OrEverything that can go wrong, will go wrong as Louis is fixing up his vintage Aston Martin V8 Vantage.Written for Prompt #27. The thrill at the awesome sound of the eight-cylinder motor.





	Fixing to Thrill

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written as part of an ongoing challenge. We each select random numbers and are given a specific emotion from the book 1000 Feelings For Which There Are No Names. To read the other fics written in this challenge, [click here](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/ShortFic_Challenge_For_Which_There_Is_No_Name/works), or you can find the masterpost on tumblr [here](http://lululawrence.tumblr.com/post/159679804243/1000-feelings-for-which-there-are-no-names-prompt).
> 
> Also, I know very little about cars and even less about fixing them. I’ve probably gotten some of the minor details wrong, but this is fiction so we’re just gonna go with it.

All the parking spaces in front of the auto parts store are taken. It must be morning storytime at the public library next door, judging by all the minivans taking up the parking spaces. Louis drives around the block and parks his car in front of the vacant storefront that used to house a chinese takeout. Louis walks down the pavement, enjoying the fresh spring breeze. It had rained overnight and the earthy scent of damp soil lingers in the small town. As he crosses a narrow alley between the hardware store and the bakery, a black cat jumps in front of him, crossing his path. It stops to look at Louis before scampering off across the street. _Great, hope that doesn’t actually bring me bad luck,_ Louis thinks to himself.

The doorway to the auto parts store is propped open with a wooden stool to let the breeze through. It takes a moment for Louis’ eyes to adjust to the dimly lit shop after being out in the sun. He sees two men standing at the counter at the back of the shop. He doesn’t recognize the customer, but does know the one behind the counter. Mr. Ryland, the shop owner is hunched over to see the numbers on the till. As far as Louis knows, his family has owned the auto parts store since the forties. Mr. Terry Ryland, with his dark grey flat cap and suspenders, is as much a part of the store as the red painted door. The only thing that’s changed in the past ten years is his white hair and need for a walking cane. You can always find him chatting with customers or restocking shelves. 

“Hello Louis!” 

“Hey Mr. Ryland!” Louis gives a little wave before he strides up to the counter next to the other man. 

“Frank, Louis here has the most beautiful car. You won’t believe it. A 1980 Aston Martin V8 Vantage. It’s a five speed manual, with 390 horsepower and goes 0 to 60 in 5.2 seconds!”

“Well, only if I can get it to start,” Louis says with a small laugh.

“Oh nonsense, you’ll have that car running in no time. As I was saying, the most beautiful car I’ve seen. The dark green paint is flawless, the beige leather interior is pristine, the polished walnut dash glows.”

“You know sometimes I think you love my car more than I do.” 

“How did a young man like yourself get a car like that, if you don’t mind me asking?” Frank asks. 

“It was my uncle’s. He saved up to buy it after he retired. When I was a kid, maybe five or so, I’d visit him and my aunt for a week each summer. They never had kids of their own, but they loved having me stay over. Every night my uncle would take my aunt and me for a drive down the country roads and I always loved it. When he passed away a few years later, my aunt just left the car covered in the shed. She couldn’t bear to even look at it, much less drive it, because it reminded her so much of him. She died last winter and she willed the car, and her house, to me.” 

“So it hasn’t been driven for 20 some years?” Frank raises his eyebrows in astonishment.

“No, won’t even start. I’ve started to work on her, but it’s a slow process, I’m not a mechanic so I am learning as I go. Mr. Ryland here has been an excellent teacher.”

“I’m only as good as my student. Anyway you have the YouTube to help you along too. I can’t take all the credit. Your parts came in yesterday by the way. I can get them as soon as I finish ringing up Frank’s purchase.”

“Take your time.” Louis wanders up and down the nearest aisles, stopping to look at the assortment of tree shaped air fresheners and plastic key chains displayed at the end of one row. He allows himself a brief moment to imagine a future where he is buying interior accessories for his car instead of essential, and expensive, pieces to repair the engine. 

He looks forward to the day when he can hear the engine in all its glory. But that day is far off from Louis’ estimation. He can’t afford a mechanic to do all the labor so he chose to repair the car himself. The only problem is that Louis is not a mechanic. He is learning though. He’d started with YouTube tutorials for some of the easier repairs but there just weren’t that many videos specific to vintage Aston Martins that could help him with the more extensive repairs. Since then, Louis has relied on Mr. Ryland’s knowledge of old cars and his connections for buying vintage parts. Louis doesn’t think he’d ever get his uncle’s car running again without Mr. Ryland’s help.

“Alright Louis,” Mr. Ryland’s voice cuts through his daydreams, “Here’s your order. It’ll be £246.”

Louis hands over his payment and grabs the cardboard box. “Thanks, I appreciate your help finding these parts. I wasn’t having much luck on my own.”

“No problem. Anytime. Have a good day Louis!” Mr. Ryland waves as he heads out the door. 

 

Louis arrives home, pulling up the long drive and parking under the elm tree. He’d inherited the farm house from his aunt. The house was a compact two-story cottage of tan bricks and red roof tiles sat on two acres of land. It was located not too far from his family in Doncaster. It was old and in need of some maintenance, but its charm made up for that. Like the stone hearth around the living room fireplace, the built-in bookshelves in the master bedroom, and the clawfoot bathtub. After years living in tiny Manchester flats with loud neighbors and grouchy landlords, he was happy to have a such a large place of his own where he could someday raise a family. 

Louis heads straight to the shed with his package. He has the day off from work and plans to get a lot done. He grabs the box cutter out of his tool box and slices through the clear packing tape. Tons of pink packing peanuts fall out of the box and cling to everything as Louis remove his parts. Who even uses packing peanuts anymore? Now he has a mess to clean up before he can start his project. Louis removes two plastic bags and sets then down on the workbench. He bends to gather the runaway peanuts into the empty cardboard box and then empties the box into the trash. The side door opens and Harry comes into the shed, leaning against the workbench. 

“What’s my handy husband up to today?”

“Hey babe. Just got back from Ryland’s. My spark plugs and piston rings finally came in.” Louis holds up the bags. He begins to open them, tearing through the plastic. He pulls a piston ring out of the first bag, but something’s not quite right. It’s about half the size he was expecting. He turns the bag over to read the label. It clearly says Lawn Mower Engine and lists a model number he’s never seen before. 

“Shit, this isn’t what I ordered. It took three weeks for them to ship this and it’s not even a car part!” 

“Is the other one right?” Harry reaches over for the bag. “This one’s labeled AM Vantage Spark Plugs...2009. Guess you’re outta luck today, Lou. Come inside, lunch is almost done anyway.”

“Guess I’ll drop by Ryland’s after work tomorrow to return those. Another day wasted.” Louis sighs and follows Harry into their home. 

 

A few weekends later, with the correct parts finally in hand, Louis is ready to make some progress on his engine. He’d picked up the parts at Ryland’s the day before, double checking that the box contained the actual parts he’d ordered before he left the store. He also bought a new serpentine belt for the engine. He takes the belt out of the paper bag and is cutting the tag off when Harry opens the door. Clifford dashes between Harry’s legs, barreling full speed into the shed. Clifford is a huge mass of curly black fur and Louis swears he has the energy of four dogs combined. He is quite the handful. Harry and he found the puppy at a local shelter when they first moved into their home. The dog runs excitedly up to Louis. He is caught off guard when Clifford bites onto the new belt in his hand and begins to pull at it.

“Oh my god, no Clifford! Drop it. Let go.” Louis commands sternly.

Harry is bent over in a laughing fit, “I can’t believe he’s playing tug-of-war with that. He’s not gonna give it up. You know tug-of-war is his favorite game.” 

“Clifford, please drop it.” Louis begs.

Harry watches for a few moments as the dog continues to stretch the rubber belt. It’s pulled taut between the two and Clifford is putting his all into his little game. “Lou you’re gonna have to let it go. You wouldn’t want it to snap while you’re holding it.”

“You’re right, wouldn’t want it to hurt him.” Louis drops the belt and Clifford takes off, running across the yard with the stretched out belt dangling from his mouth.

“Or hurt you. Come here,” Harry wraps Louis in a hug. “Let’s go inside, I’ll make you some tea while you call Mr. Ryland to reorder your belt.” 

 

Early summer brings in warm sunny days, long hours of daylight, and the occasional threat of severe weather. Today is promising to be one of the stormy days. The humidity had been creeping up steadily since Louis woke. He’d had all the doors and windows in the shed propped open to allow air to flow until the rain had moved in. He still has three fans blowing around the shed, but it’s not enough to relieve the humidity. 

Every few minutes he stops to wipe the sweat from his face as he works on the car. Louis wants to finish installing the spark plugs before calling it for the night. The rain beats against the side of the shed, loud enough now that it is drowning out the sounds of the radio Louis had been listening to. He stands and looks out the window. Dark clouds have moved in and the wind has picked up since he last looked. A bolt of lightning streaks across the sky. Louis begins to count in his mind. The thunder comes just three seconds later, rattling the window panes. Louis returns to his task, more determined to finish quickly. Another flash of lightning lights up the shed briefly. With the following thunderclap, Louis is caught in sudden darkness and silence. 

The power cut out, silencing the song on the radio and the constant whir of the fans. When it’s obvious the power won’t immediately flicker back on, Louis grabs his phone from his pocket and swipes to turn on the flashlight. He makes his way over to the workbench to set down his tools. He turns the dial of the silent radio into the off position and unplugs the fans from the outlet. Then he walks up to the door and shines his light through the window to assess his trek back to the house. It’s only about fifty feet, but the pouring rain is not about to let up and the path between the shed and porch is sure to be muddy. _At least it’s not hailing,_ , Louis thinks as he takes a deep breath to brace himself before making a mad dash for the house. 

The rain soaks through his shirt within seconds and drips from his hair into his eyes. He splashes his way through the muddy gravel path as he runs. Another flash of lightning illuminates the porch in front of him as he climbs the three stairs and finally enters the house. 

The door slams shut behind him and he stands dripping on the welcome mat. Harry rushes into the foyer, fluffy bath towel in hand.

“Here you go.” Harry hands him the towel. 

“Thanks, I can’t believe the power went out. Are you alright in here?”

“Yeah I know. I’m fine, got some candles lit in the living room. Clifford’s not though, he hasn’t stopped whining since this afternoon. Poor thing, he still hates storms. Maybe you can settle him down.”

“Well, I can try once I change out of these clothes.” Louis kicks off his sopping shoes and strips out of his muddy jeans and wet shirt. Wearing only his pants, which remained mostly dry, he bends to gather all the wet clothes up to put in the laundry. He uses the light on his phone to guide his way down the dark hall. The eerie silence accentuates each clap of thunder as the storm continues. 

After a quick shower to get rid of the day’s sweat, he pulls on a pair of grey sweatpants and a shirt that is probably Harry’s. Louis walks into the living room to find Harry stretched out on the couch reading a book by candlelight. Clifford is curled up on his dog bed in the corner of the room with his head resting on his paws and the most pitiful look on his face. When he sees Louis, his whining increases in volume. 

“Oh poor boy, are you still afraid of the storms?” Louis sits on the floor to pet him. After scratching a bit between Clifford’s ears, he reaches over to the basket of dog toys and finds the brush. He begins running his fingers in long, gentle strokes through the fur to check for knots. He then he begins running the brush down the length of his spine, dragging through the silky fur. Brushing always calms Clifford and he loves the extra attention Louis give hims during the process. His soft, curly fur is one of Louis’ favorite parts of Clifford. 

When Louis and Harry had first seen Clifford at the local shelter, he had been shaved. They said when they rescued him his thick black fur had been matted down in spots and they had to shave the fur so it could regrow properly. It was heartbreaking. But despite the lack of fur, the dog’s playful spirit and kind eyes drew in both Harry and Louis. They instantly fell in love with the nine month old puppy and adopted him. Now, two years later, Louis still takes extra care to brush out the black curls often.

Half an hour passes before Clifford’s whines finally die down and it looks like the dog has fallen asleep. The soft flicker of the candlelight and the rhythm of brushing Clifford have also lulled Louis into a sleepy state. He puts the brush away and scoots back across the floor toward the couch where Harry lays. 

“Mind if I join you for a cuddle?” Louis looks up with pleading eyes. 

Harry opens his arms and Louis moves to tuck himself on the remaining sliver of cushion. 

 

“Just a bit more,” Louis mumbles to himself. He is leaned over the front of the car, standing on his tiptoes to reach the back of the engine. The bolt he is tightening is in a very hard-to-reach space and there is barely enough room to move the wrench. There were 16 bolts in all to secure the radiator in place and Louis wants to finish this task quickly. He has always hated repetitive tasks like tightening bolts.

“Got it! Alright last one.” Louis picks up the last bolt from the workbench and tries to put it in place. With a steady hand and a bit of concentration Louis finally gets the bolt threaded through the hole. He maneuvers his hand in the tight spot between two pipes to attach the nut to secure it. 

“Boo!” Harry shouts as he pokes two fingers into Louis’ sides from behind.

“Ahhhh!” Louis screams and jumps backward at the scare. He hadn’t even heard Harry coming into the shed. “Damnit Harry. You made me drop the nut!” He leans further on his tiptoes, hoping to see where the nut has fallen, but there isn’t enough light. 

“Sorry I didn’t realize…”

“Get me a flashlight.” He snaps, interrupting Harry’s apology. Harry finds one quickly and hands it over. He stays silent, knowing anything he might say while Louis is focusing could set him off. 

“There I see it. It’s way down there.” Louis hands the flashlight back to Harry, “Hold this here so I can see.” Louis bends forward and snakes his arm down between two pipes into the crevice. It’s an unnatural angle and a very tight fit. “I can feel it there. Fuck, my fingers aren’t long enough.” 

“That’s not usually a problem for you.” Harry remarks, the innuendo escaping before he could think better of it. Louis glares at him.

“Well, it’s your fault I’m in this situation so have at it. You’re the one with the expert fingers anyway.” 

“My fingers are pretty good, aren’t they?” 

Louis rolls his eyes. They trade places and Harry rolls up his sleeve before shoving his hand into the crevice. “Wow it’s really down in there, Lou. Oh I can feel it, My finger is brushing it, just a bit… deeper.” Harry tries to suppress his laughter. 

“Hold on.” Harry twists his arm, a few small grunts escaping as he leans forward and jams his arm further into the crevice. “Got’cha!” A bit more twisting and pulling and his arm comes free, the nut pinched between two fingers.

Harry turns to Louis and bows dramatically and presents the nut on his outstretched palm, “Your nut.” 

Louis tries to maintain a serious expression, but to be honest, he never could stay mad at Harry for something so ridiculous. The whole scenario was too funny and they both end up in a fit of laughter. 

“You’ve got some fingering technique there,” Louis says. “Let me finish securing this last bolt before I lose the nut again. Then maybe I’ll let you put your technique to use.” Louis winks and turns back to the car. 

Harry is left with a stitch in his side from laughing and a semi from Louis’ suggestion.

 

The screen door slams shut behind Louis. He kicks his shoes off, leaving them in the middle of the rug by the back door, even though he knows Harry hates when he leaves them out. He just wants to make his tea, sit down, and forget this afternoon ever happened. 

He stomps over to the counter and grabs the kettle to fill with water. He sets it in the sink with a bit too much force making a loud noise. He turns the tap on before heading to the cabinet for his mug. He pulls open the door and roots around, looking for his favorite mug. it’s the black one with various colored bears dancing around the bottom of it. He sees it, pushed to the back of the middle shelf, just a bit out of his reach. He stands on his tiptoes and reaches for it but as he pulls it out, Clifford runs up behind him, brushing the backs of his legs. He loses his balance and the mug drops onto the floor, shattering. 

“Fuck!” 

“Are you okay? What happened?” Harry calls out as he rushes into the kitchen. 

“Can you grab the dog so he doesn’t cut himself on the glass. I don’t need anything else to go wrong today.” 

“Got it. Clifford com’ere boy!” Harry ushers the dog out of the kitchen to let him outside through the front door. He hurries back to help Louis, who is dumping the shattered remains of his favorite mug into the bin. 

While Louis puts his broom back in the closet, Harry finishes making the tea. He sits down at the table and Harry brings over two steaming mugs.

After a couple minutes of listening to nothing but the clock ticking, Harry asks gently, “Do you want to talk about it?” 

Louis sighs, “Today fucking sucks. I was working on the car all morning and made some great progress. But then I unhooked a pipe and there was a mouse nest inside! So I spent the rest of the morning unassembling half the engine to clean out the debris those little shits left in my motor. Then this afternoon I reassembled the whole thing but when I went to put it back in place, it didn’t fit! Turns out I reassembled it ass-backwards. So I came in here to take a break, but my mug was too high, and Clifford bumped me, and now we’re here.” Louis takes a sip of his tea.

“That does sound fucking awful.”

“I’m never gonna finish fixing this car. It’s taking so long and I am so sick of it. Why can’t it just be fixed already?” Louis grumbles. Harry puts a comforting hand on Louis’ arm. 

“Now that’s not true. Look how far you’ve come already. You’ll finish this car, even if it’s not as soon as you were hoping for.” 

“But I’m not good enough at all this mechanical shit and every time I take two steps forward something throws me three steps back.” Louis drops his head into his crossed arms on the table, shrinking into the sudden surge of self doubt.

“I know it’s hard, but you’re smart. You’ll figure it out. You just need a good break from the car for a bit and then you’ll be back at it, alright?” Harry rubs his back soothingly. “Let’s just grab some beers, watch Friends reruns, and not think about that car for the rest of the evening.” 

Harry pulls him up from the kitchen table and tucks him into his side as they walk toward the living room, stopping at the fridge to grab two beers along the way.

 

Louis takes a step back and wipes his hand on a rag to remove the excess oil and dirt. He tosses the rag back onto the counter, then lowers the bonnet with a heavy thud. He takes a deep breath to steady himself, nervous anticipation coursing through his veins. He goes to grab the keys from the counter, but they’re not where he last saw them. 

He looks around frantically, trying not to panic as he moves around tools, old wires, and papers. Finally he finds them. They’re under the rag he had just used to wipe his hands. Louis chuckles to himself at his mini meltdown. He is really nervous to see if his hard work finally pays off. 

He gets in the car and puts his hands on the wheel. Staring out the windshield he sends a silent prayer that it will start. After a few deep breaths, he inserts the key, turns it, and presses the clutch. The engine turns over a few times, a few more than a car usually would. Louis instantly feels his heart sink at the thought that it won’t start. It turns over one last time before roaring to life. 

Louis screams and cheers. He punches his fist in the air in excitement but accidentally hits the roof of the car. His car has finally started! 

At the sound of the engine, Harry had come running out of the house. Louis jumps out of the car and runs to him. He jumps into Harry’s arms and is twirled around before being set back on the ground.

“It’s running!” Louis shouts over the roar of the V8.

“Congrats, babe!” They rock back and forth in their embrace. “I’m so proud of you, knew you could fix ‘er up.”

“Thanks Harry.” Louis lays his head against Harry’s chest, listening to the sound of the engine as he comes down from the rush of adrenaline. 

“Doesn’t she sound beautiful? I haven’t heard her in over twenty years. Nothing else sounds quite like an eight cylinder engine.” Louis says wistfully.

“Mhm” Harry hums his agreement, taking a moment to focus on the expression of pure joy on Louis’ face. He’s been so stressed about fixing up the car all summer that moments like these had been few and far between. 

Suddenly Louis slaps his hand firmly against Harry’s chest and shouts “Pack your bags we’re going for a road trip!”

Harry startles at the sudden outburst. “Babe, maybe we shouldn’t go for a long drive yet in case it can’t get us back.”

“Are you questioning my mechanical abilities?” Louis leans back to look Harry in the eye, brow furrowed.

“I’m only saying we should stay close to home for a couple of times. And that will also give us time to plan out an official weekend road trip that this car deserves.” 

Louis thinks for a moment before agreeing, “I guess you’re right. It would be great to go away for a whole weekend.” He lays his head back on Harry’s chest and sighs in contentment. His mind begins to race about all the possible routes they could take on their trip.

“But we could go for a test run down the road now. Or are we just gonna stand around listening to the engine?” Harry quips.

Louis laughs, “I bet she’ll sound even better going down the road. Hop in!” 

Behind the wheel, Louis shifts into gear and they’re off. He steers down the long drive.

They drive with the windows down to hear the eight cylinder engine as Louis speeds up along the straight stretch of road. 

A few miles down the road, Harry reaches over and clicks the radio on. Mick Jagger belts out “You make a grown man cry!” through the speakers at top volume.

“Oh man I forgot about that!” Louis shouts above the music and the engine. 

“About what?” Harry asks.

“Look in the glove compartment.”

Harry unlatches the door and opens the compartment to reveal a stash of long forgotten cassette tapes. Along with the Rolling Stones are Fleetwood Mac, Queen, and Pink Floyd. “Well that’s our road trip playlist settled then.” 

“My uncle used to always have a tape playing when we’d go for drives. I guess he was the one that first introduced me to good music and got me interested in bands.”

Harry continues to rifle through the compartment. Along with the assortment of cassette tapes, there’s old receipts, a torn road map, a piece of hard candy still in its wrapper, and a faded brochure for a bed and breakfast in Warrington.  
“Wonder if this place is still open?” Harry mumbles as he pulls out his phone to google “Riverside Bed and Breakfast”. A quick search reveals that it is still open and their website shows that they even have an available room for the following weekend. “Louis, I know where we’re going on our road trip.”

 

The following Friday, Louis waits impatiently, with the key in the ignition, for Harry to finish tossing his overnight bag in the boot. 

Louis starts the car. The engine roars to life in their quiet yard as Louis shifts into first gear. Louis doubts he will ever not feel a thrill at the sound of his car’s engine.

“Ready to go?” Louis asks as Harry finally climbs into the passenger seat.

“Yep. Let’s do this!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! [ Here](https://haztobegood.tumblr.com/post/184073467003/haztobegood-fixing-to-thrill-by-haztobegood) is a rebloggable post for the fic.


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